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Cumbrian council gives wings to Eddie Stobart's flight plan

7th February 2008
Page 14
Page 14, 7th February 2008 — Cumbrian council gives wings to Eddie Stobart's flight plan
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Eddie Stobart's development plans for Carlisle airport have gained the support of Cumbria County Council Chris Tindall reports.

COUNTY COUNCILLORS are unanimously backing Eddie Stobart's plans to redevelop Carlisle airport and launch Stobart Air.

Within days the country's best known haulage company will discover if its £30m plan to take to the skies can go ahead —chief executive AndrewTinkler has confirmed that the support of Cumbria County Council is essential.

The city council will make the altimate decision. but a recent :fleeting of the county council's Developme.nt Control and Reguation Committee (DCRC) backed be scheme. listing a range of ecotomic benefits from constructing a .unway, passenger tcrmin al, air trafic control centre and warehouses. It ilso suggested initiatives to help revent the application stalling,such as providing additional bus services, boosting traffic access and carrying out further archaeological digs.

Tinkler warns that if the application is rejected the company may have to relocate its HQ outside Cumbria: The [county] council has been behind it all the time. We didn't want it to get locked up in red tape, so we are trying to work with the council so we can tick as many boxes as possible. We are quite comfortable with what they are putting in — we've spent a lot of money on the archaeology."

He adds that objections have come from environmentalists: "English Heritage has a duty of care to make sure they have an English Heritage site, but also to find ways of getting people [to Cumbria]. They have to promote it."

A county council spokesman says: "We are getting it up to speed, where it needs to be. Our economic regeneration team has been figuring out how to get this application to cut the mustard."

DCRC chairman Geoff Prest concludes: -This airport will be good for Cumbria.

"Every effort is being made to support the application and to make sure it stands up when the final planning decision is made."

A decision is due on 15 February.


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